The Hells Angels aren't just a motorcycle club, and according to Fortune, the bike clubs of the U.S. (and their international branches) have been operating as businesses for a long time.
In 2017, Maclean's spoke with Dave "Shaky" Atwell, a former Hells Angel turned police informant. He gave a fascinating look at what goes on behind the closed doors that are usually off-limits to outsiders, including what prospects and members were expected to contribute to the club. Atwell said that illegal activities aside, club members paid regular dues. Even more surprising, they were also expected to contribute by selling the club's merch, which seems like a weird thing. Atwell explained: "It was very corporate. ... It was about being a cog in a money-making machine."
He wasn't talking about $20 a week dues, either. When he turned informant, the law enforcement officers he was working with gave him a stipend to cover the expenses he incurred as a Hells Angel. It amounted to a shocking $1,850 each and every week, which covered all his dues and all other expenses that came with being a full member of the club. That, Atwell says, was an average. That same year, the CBC reported that Canadian branches were seeing a decline in membership numbers. Reasons behind the decline were likely to be complicated, but RCMP Sgt. Angie Hawryluk explained one thing she'd heard rumblings about: "We've heard that they dropped out because they couldn't afford it."
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